Combined rail-joint and nut-lock.



C. B. FOGLI.

COMBINED RAH. JOINT AND NUT LOCK.

APPLlCATlON FILED FEB. 26. 1916.

1 I fi iiil ifii'fim' fig! v 1 c. 5.10am. .COMBINED RAIL JOINT AND NUT LOCK. APPLICATION FILED FEB- 25. I9l6.

1,186,763; Patented June 13, 1916.

M i MD ll A A 1'1' \w i J f "13 J M THE COLUMBIA PLANUORAPH 60-, WASHINGTON, n. C-

C. B. FOGLI.

COMBINED RAIL JOINT AND NUT LOCK. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. 1915.

1,186,763. Patented June 13, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3O tion through a rail and rail joint constructed .the rail against accidental loosening.

CHARLES B. FOGLI,

OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

COMBINED RAIL-JOINT AND NUT-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 113, 1916.

Application filed February 26, 1916. Serial N 0. 80,602.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES B. FOGLI, citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Combined Bail-Joints and Nut-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its object to pro vide an improved rail joint and chair constituting in conjunction with bolts for securing the same to the rails a nut lock.

The particular object of the invention isoto provide a rail jointand nut-lock combined in which there is such a coaction of the several parts as will produce the desired result in a simple and efficient .manner and without increase in the expense of producing the several parts.

The invention consists in. the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and particularly claimed. 7 i

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1- is a vertical transverse secin accordance with the invention. Fig. 2-- is a horizontal section of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3- is a view in side elevation of the same. Fig. ?i is a detail view in end elevation of a rail joint member employed. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the bolt employed. Figs. 6 and -7 are views similar to Fig. 1 showing variations in construction. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of a plate shown in Fig. 6-.

My invention consists essentially in providing splice bars interposed between the head and flanges of a rail and spaced from the web of the latter, which are so shaped as to be capable of being sprung inwardly toward the web of the rail'without placing undue strains on the latter, and utilizing such springing of said rail joints as a means for efi'ecting the locking of the nuts and bolts by means of which the same are secured 0 0 this end the splice bars, which may also constitute rail chairs, comprise, as shown in Fig. 1-, what may be termed two substantially slightly double concave plates A thickened along one edge to provide heads 13 adapted to contact with the under faces of the head 0 of the rail, and which are further thickened or enlarged, as at D, along their other edges, said portions D being adapted to bear upon the flanges E of the rail. The surfaces engaged by said heads B and D converge toward the web F of the rail so that said plates A become wedged between said surfaces as they are drawn by the bolts G toward said web F, the relative dimensions of the plate and rail being such that said plates in being drawn inwardly toward said web cannot come in contact at any point with said web F. As I previously stated, and as shown in the drawings, the plates A may be integral with the rail chair H, though the latter performs no function so far as the elements coacting to produce the desired result at which I aim are concerned, and will, therefore, not be further referred to in this specification.

The outer faces of the plates A are usually slightly conveXed, but in adapting the same to the purposes ofmy invention, 1 provide said outer faces between their upper and lower edges withvery shallow substantially concave recesses I, which preferably are very slightly V-shaped, or formed by two flat surfaces meeting at a slight angle midway between the upper and lower "edges of the plates, as shown. The perforations J and K for the passage of the bolts G are so disposed that their axes intersect the meeting line of the flat surfaces forming the recesses I, or in the event that said recesses shall be formed of continuously curved surfaces the aXes of said openings willintersect said recesses midway between their side edges. The perforations J are elliptical, and the perforations K circular, the latter being adapted to permit the passage of the shanks of the boltsG, and the former being adapted to receive the elliptical enlargements L at the heads of said bolts, which are adapted surfaces adapted to oppose the outer surfaces of the plates A which are rendered slightly convex or V-shaped to conform accurately to the shape of the recesses I into which said surfaces of the nuts are adapted to project, and in which they engage. In the drawings, the depth of the recesses and the convexity of the said nut surfaces are somewhat exaggerated for greater clearness. In tightening the nuts for securing the said plates to the rail the said nut surfaces will, during each half revolution of the nut,

. spring into the said recesses I, and upon turning the same through an arc of ninety degrees from the said position the ridges of the nut surfaces will be disposed transversely to and span the said recesses I, as will be obvious. The slight concavity of the inner faces of the plates A is such as will permit said plates to be sprung inwardly to an appreciable extent without placingany' undue tension strain on the webs of the rails and without permanently distorting or buckling said plates, the latter having sufiicient resiliency to be sprung or flexed to an appreciable extent sufiicient to firmly engage the interfitting nutrecess surfaces to prevent the nuts from rotating accidentally,- I and thus becoming loose.

Thus in Fig. -1--, I have indicated in dotted lines substantially the extent to which theplates A are sprung for effecting a locking of the nuts of the bolts against rotation. "It will be observed, of course, that the said springing of the said lates tends to spread or separate the portionsB and D of the latter, but this spreading is so slight asto place no appreciable strain upon the rail or upon said plates. The flexing of the plates A is, however, sufficient to deprive them of their arched formation when the nutshave been drawn up to the extent necessary to rigidly secure the plates A to the rails. The said plates A having substantially fiat outer surfaces 'N, as shown in Figs. -6 and 7., may also be employed in conjunction with platesYO, which are relatively thin and have fiat surfaces opposing said surfaces N, but having eitherconvex outer faces, as shown in Fig. 6-, or concave outer faces Q as shown in Fig. 7-. In the event that the plates 0 of Fig. -6 are employed'the nuts, R of the bolts employed are provided with concave surfaces opposing the convex surfaces P. As the plates 0 are, as shown in Fig. -'8-, engaged ata plurality of points with the bolts, they are incapable of rotation on the axis of any one of said bolts so that in turning up the nuts, the opposed surfaces will spring into and out of engaging relation to each other, in the same manner as the co posed nut and plate surfaces illustrated in Fig. 1, to effect a locking of the nut in the same manner as hereinbefore described with reference to the structure of Fig. 1.

The operation of the structure of Fig. 7- would obviously beidentical with the structure of Fig. 6, and substantially identical with that of. Fig. '1 within the limits of the invention defined in the pended claims.

It will be obvious, of course, that the interengaging formations on the plates and nuts may be of any suitable form to accomplish the locking of the nut without departing from the invention so long as the flex.

tion for rails of the type employed on street railways, and may also be used advantageouslyifor joining structural steelv beams of various kinds.

crossings, and at all points where the members to-be joined extend angularlyrelatively to each other.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combined rail splice-bar and, nut

lock comprising in combination a pair of plates disposed on opposite sides of and spaced from the'web'of the rail and abutting against the head and flanges of; the latter, said plates presenting slightly concave faces opposing said web, said plates capable of being flexed to deprive said inner faces of their concavity and provided with openings for the passage of bolts, said plates and bolts equipped with relatively shallow inter-engaging formations adapted to be sprung into and out of engagement with each other by the flexing of said plates as said bolts are tightened and held in engagement with each other by the'pressure of said plates to prevent accidental loosening of said bolts as said plates are flexed The structure, may also, obviously, be adapted for jointsat railroad.

to deprive said inner faces thereof of their concavity. I

2. A combined rail splice-bar and nut lock comprising in combination a pair of plates disposed on opposite sides of and adapted to be sprung into and out of engagement with each other by the flexing In testimony whereof I have signed my of said plates as said bolts are tightened and name in presence of two subscribing Witheld in engagement with each other by the nesses.

pressure of said plates to prevent acciden- CHARLES B. FOGLI. tal loosening of said bolts as said plates are Witnesses:

flexed to deprive said inner faces thereof R. W. LOTZ,

of their concavity. M. M. BOYLE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patents, Washington, D. G." 

